The University of Michigan has unveiled its groundbreaking laser system known as the Zettawatt-Equivalent Ultrashort pulse laser System (ZEUS), which successfully generated an astounding 2 petawatts of power during its initial testing phase. This output equates to 2 quadrillion watts, exceeding over 100 times the current total global electricity generation, according to university officials. However, there are no plans to use this technology for building a Death Star; the powerful pulses last for only 25 quintillionths of a second and have potential applications in diverse research fields such as medicine, quantum physics, and materials science.
ZEUS was developed with a funding allocation of $16 million from the US National Science Foundation. The system features specialized 7-inch sapphire crystals infused with titanium atoms, which required over four years to produce. Franko Bayer, the project manager for ZEUS, commented on the rarity of such titanium sapphire crystals, stating there are only a few in existence worldwide.
Operating this advanced laser system is a complex process that involves more than simply activating it like a typical handheld laser. The initial infrared pulse undergoes amplification through multiple pump lasers designed to enhance its energy. This energy is incrementally boosted in four stages, with measures in place to prevent the pulse from becoming too intense and causing air breakdown. Optical devices known as diffraction gratings are utilized to stretch the pulse out and manage its intensity.
Initially, the pulse measures 12 inches in diameter and extends several feet in length. Once it enters vacuum chambers for further processing, additional gratings compress it to a narrow 0.8 microns to maximize its intensity for experimental use.
In the first experiment conducted by Franklin Dollar, a physics and astronomy professor at the University of California, Irvine, the laser pulse was aimed at a helium gas cell. This interaction led to the generation of plasma, whereby electrons were stripped from the helium atoms, resulting in a mix of free electrons and positively charged ions. The electrons were then propelled behind the laser pulse in a manner akin to wake surfers riding behind a boat, a phenomenon referred to as wakefield acceleration.
The ultimate goal of this experiment is to create electron beams of a caliber that rivals those produced by conventional particle accelerators, but without the need for the extensive and costly machinery typically associated with such technology.
Located at the Gérard Mourou Center for Ultrafast Optical Science, ZEUS occupies a space comparable to that of a school gymnasium. It follows in the legacy of the center’s previous HERCULES laser, which achieved a peak power of 300 terawatts in 2007. Announced in 2022, ZEUS currently boasts a power output approximately double that of other lasers in the United States and is projected to eventually reach up to 3 petawatts.
Despite being the most powerful laser on US soil, ZEUS remains outstripped by a laser at the European ELI-NP laboratory in Măgurele, Romania, which can peak at 10 petawatts.
